


Everything, All At Once

by PiecesFallingFromMe



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hope, Romance, Sexual Content, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-23 23:52:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8347699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PiecesFallingFromMe/pseuds/PiecesFallingFromMe
Summary: All you want is every little thing, every little dream you have. Callie and Arizona have a lifetime of memories, a lifetime of stories, a lifetime of...them. Sequel/companion piece to "Well Maybe What You Want is Right Here".





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so. This is a sequel of sorts to my story "Well Maybe What You Want is Right Here" - so I would definitely recommend you read that first, if you haven't already.
> 
> This time, I'm capturing snapshots of Callie and Arizona's life throughout that story. Memories, if you will, or little leftover bits that happened in between and around and behind the scenes. They won't necessarily be in chronological order, but I'll try to make it clear where each one fits in the timeline. Some will be short, and some will be longer. They're pretty much all inspired by a song, so I'll give you that at the beginning of each one, if you want to follow along with my soundtrack.
> 
> Thank you VERY MUCH to everyone who reads, and comments, and everyone on tumblr who encouraged me to write this sequel! Your feedback is much appreciated, and I look forward to hearing what you think!
> 
> Oh! And, as a final note - the title for this story was very gratefully borrowed from the band Correatown. It was perfect, and I had to use it.

_Jenny, by Walk the Moon_

_._

_._

**_Arizona_ **

"When did we become the couple who spends forty minutes picking out a blender?"

I cross my arms over my chest, shifting a bit as my eyes scan over the massive wall of kitchen appliances in front of us. Honestly, we should have just gone to Target or something.

"We wouldn't be the couple who _needs_ a new blender if _someone_ hadn't broken ours last weekend," Callie doesn't glance up from her phone, but I can hear a hint of amusement colouring her tone, "besides, I'm researching here. How was I supposed to know our model got discontinued?"

"I didn't _break_ it! It just...broke."

"It's almost like you're supposed to use the special _ice_ mode for giant, frozen, chunks of fruit."

Scowling slightly, I cast my eyes toward the other woman's profile, noting a definite smirk curving the edge of her lips upward. She enjoys teasing me way too much.

"Blenders shouldn't be this complicated."

I scan over the numerous brands and models again, reaching for a relatively fancy looking one.

"Let's just get this one, Callie."

"Wait- no."

She bats my hand away, pocketing her phone, and walks down the aisle to a sleek, gunmetal gray model that looks like it has about a million settings and is constructed to take a speeding bullet.

"This one. It has fantastic reviews."

Glancing at the price tag, I blink a little in disbelief.

"For that price, it better."

I watch as my new wife carefully slides a box off the shelf, cradling the new kitchen toy like it's a baby. She raises an eyebrow, pointing with her free hand, and lets out a slight huff of breath.

"It'll be worth it."

Rolling my eyes with a slight chuckle, I follow her down the aisle and back towards the front of the high-end kitchen store where we line up at the cash register. I'm not about to argue. When it comes to anything food-related, I'm more than happy to let Calliope choose. Not that I can't cook - but in all fairness, she spends way more time in the kitchen than I ever will. Besides, we just got married again a month ago, and we're in newlywed bliss for the second time with each other - I have absolutely zero complaints about anything.

"Yes, darling."

 

*

 

"Did you...make a milkshake? It's ten thirty at night. I didn't even hear-"

"That's because our new blender is _super_ quiet," Callie just grins, walking around to my side of the bed, "one of its many, many features."

She dips a spoon into the dark, chocolaty shake and offers it to me, and I lean up to taste. Except before I have a chance, the brunette tips the spoon and spills the cold liquid over the top of my chest.

"Oops."

Raising her eyebrow slowly, she plucks the book from my hands and sets it aside, kneeling beside me on the bed.

"Let me just get that for you."

Before I even catch on to what's happening, Callie is leaning in, her warm tongue slowly trailing across the top of my breast, licking up the trail of chocolaty drink. The combination of the icy sensation and her warm breath as it skirts across my skin causes me to shiver, and I lean my head back against the headboard as I watch appreciatively.

"Is that how it's gonna be?"

She smiles, dark eyes flickering up innocently.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

She dips the spoon into the milkshake again and makes a show of 'accidentally' spilling it a little further down my cleavage, and I can't help jump a bit in surprise.

"Oops, look at that. Happened again."

Leaning down, she licks a droplet from my skin, her free hand tugging the material of my tank top down further as her tongue dips low in between my breasts. A distinct shiver of arousal shoots through my body and I laugh breathlessly, grabbing the material from her and swiftly pulling it up and over my head. If this is how she wants to play tonight, then I'm certainly not going to deny her.

"I wouldn't want to get this dirty. It's one of my favourites."

My wife's grin grows exponentially as my top hits the floor, leaving me in only a pair of purple, cotton underwear, and as she swiftly places a hand on my shoulder and pushes me to my back I'm extremely glad that she closed the bedroom door on her way in and that Sofia is already long asleep. Her eyes darken even more as her gaze trails over my body, and all I can do is watch as she tips the glass in her hand and slowly, determinedly pours a cold, thin line of the perfectly blended beverage from the middle of my chest down past my belly button, licking her lips in anticipation.

"See? I told you the blender was worth it."

.

.

 


	2. Chapter 2

_The World is Ours, by Eleven Past One_

_._

_._

**_Callie_ **

Our family constantly seems to be running late.

And I don't understand it - I really don't - by all accounts, given her perky, bubbly demeanor, Arizona should be a morning person. She's exactly the type of person I'd expect to bounce out of bed bright and early and throw open the blinds to let the sun in. Maybe even the type to hum a little tune while she's at it.

But she's really not. It's like her dirty little secret that only me and her own mother know. She rolls out of bed with sleepy eyes, messy bed-head, and is like a grumbly little girl until she gets some coffee or food into her.

It's adorable, don't get me wrong. Adorable, and kind of sexy in a way.

But it means that between the two of us, we are _constantly_ almost late for something. Mornings in the Robbins-Torres house are chaotic, there's no two ways about it, and sure, we generally manage to squeak into work and get our daughter to school _just_ in the nick of time, but sometimes I feel like we should really work on this as a family. Or, you know, just set all our clocks ahead.

"Sofia! Time to go!"

Small feet thunder down the hall from the kitchen and Sofia skids a little in her rainbow-sock-clad feet as she comes to a stop at the front door. Her first grade class is going on a field trip today to the Children's Museum - her first field trip ever - and she's beyond excited to get going. She's been talking about it all morning. And all weekend.

"Here, get your sweater on," I hand her a butterfly-printed zip-up hoodie and pull her sneakers out from the small pile by the door, "and remember what we talked about, Sof. Make sure you follow your teacher today, and stay by Megan's side. You guys can be buddies at the museum. Oh, and don't touch anything unless your teacher says you can. Got it?"

I rifle in my purse and swear a little under my breath. Where is that damn permission slip? I thought I'd filled it out last night.

"Arizona! Do you have the permission slip?"

I hear a faint clattering of silverware being dropped - or flung - and a moment later my wife's voice calls out.

"Got it! Hang on!"

I crouch for a moment to help Sofia tie her shoes, and hear bare feet padding quickly down the hall until a set of sinfully gorgeous legs comes into my field of vision. I don't even care that one is electronic and mechanical inside - they're both hot on her.

"Audrey - we don't throw spoons, okay? Here, say goodbye to mommy and Sofia."

She grins down at me with our youngest daughter giggling on her hip and a piece of folded paper in her other hand, and I can't help but smile at the matching sets of blue eyes that beam down at me.

"Bye, little A," I lean in and smooch a pair of baby lips, "be good for your momma this morning. No more spoon throwing."

"Ma-mee!"

"Mommy come on!" Sofia tugs at my sleeve, impatience written all over her face, "I gotta go to school! The trip!"

"Okay, okay, we're going."

Leaning in to kiss my wife, I grab the school permission slip from her hand, glancing quickly to make sure she signed at the bottom. Her familiar scrawl has filled out Sofia's name and all the pertinent contact information, and it's signed with a hasty 'Arizona Torres'.

That's new.

"Arizona Torres, hm?"

I grin again, folding it and tucking it into the pocket of my jeans.

"What?" she looks down, realization dawning on her, "oh! Well. I only really need Robbins-Torres professionally, right? No confusion with the school this way. And I mean, it _is_ my name, technically...it's our name...and I was in a hurry, less to write."

Drawn as if by magnetic force, I lean in and softly press another kiss to her lips, sighing happily as I interrupt her rambling words. She doesn't even get how much I adore her. She is such an incredible light in my life, and I am _so_ lucky.

"I love you."

"MOMMY COME ON!"

"Okay!"

Sofia gives Arizona a quick hug and marches toward the front door with her hands on her hips, clearly nonplussed with her mothers' continued procrastination. Clearly there are things to do, places to be - and much less kissing to be done.

"I'll see you at lunch?"

I grab my purse and drop one last, quick kiss on Audrey's forehead, looking hopefully at my wife. She's still dressed in her pajamas - a pair of shorts and a tank top under her favourite silky robe - and her hair is still a bit wild and messy from sleep, her face completely bare of makeup. She's got some baby cereal smeared on her clavicle, and Audrey is about to wipe some drool on her shoulder, and she is...so, so beautiful.

"Yep. See you at lunch. Love you too."

Glancing at my watch with a smile, I hurry Sofia out the front door and head toward my car, getting her bundled in the back seat and getting us out the driveway in minutes.

Late, but worth it.

.

.


	3. Chapter 3

_Lovers in a Dangerous Time, by Barenaked Ladies_

_._

_._

_**Callie** _

Arizona rarely pages me 911.

Unlike myself when I was pregnant with Sofia, she's been surprisingly calm and collected ever since she entered her second trimester - once the risk of early miscarriage had passed - rarely panicking over things like I did. And in the past, I would have assumed she was paging me for a quick tryst in an on-call room, but we decided after we had Sofia that we needed a separate 'emergency' code for emergencies of a...more intimate nature. Things that weren't actually life or death.

So when Arizona _does_ page me 911 in the middle of the afternoon, I feel a sudden, uncontrollable fear. And I run.

"Arizona?"

Catching my breath a little after my sprint up the stairs, I push open the door to my wife's office on the paediatric floor, alarm clear in my voice when I'm met with nothing but silence.

"Arizona?! I'm here, what's-"

When she gets up from her chair, the look of panic in her eyes immediately makes my heart lurch into my throat, but I push all my own fear aside and take her hands, fighting to keep myself calm.

"What's wrong?"

"She's not...Audrey's not kicking. I should be feeling her move at _least_ ten times every two hours and I was in surgery earlier and I was busy on rounds but now I've been working on files for the last hour and I can't...I can't feel her moving."

Her voice comes out in an even, controlled, almost clinical tone, but the pain in her eyes is evident - those vivid blues clouded over with an underlying sheen of fear. It breaks my heart to see that look in her eyes. To know what must be running through her mind right now.

"I need..." she tears her gaze away from mine abruptly, dropping my hands, "you need to...we need an ultrasound. Now."

"Okay, honey, it's going to be fine. I'm sure she's just sleeping...or, maybe you were preoccupied and missed it...let's go page Dr-"

"No! Callie, we need an ultrasound _now_."

Letting out a somewhat shaky breath as she tries to keep her obviously growing panic at bay, she curls her hands protectively around the large swell of her 28-week pregnant belly.

"Let's just do it."

And she grabs my hand, tugging me behind her as she suddenly strides out of her office, turning down the relatively quiet hallway until we find an empty exam room. I follow, clasping her hand in mine, and shut the door behind us, but a part of me feels the need to protest a little bit - I'm not a baby doctor; I haven't done an OB rotation since I was an intern and I haven't used an ultrasound machine in probably a decade.

"Sweetie, okay I really think we should try and page Dr. Neale...I'm no expert in this."

" _Callie_. I am a maternal-fetal surgeon, I am _the_ expert in this - just take the damn wand!"

She shrugs her lab coat off onto a chair and climbs onto the table, laying back and pushing her scrubs out of the way as I switch on the machine in the corner. I can tell that barely-controlled panic is still just under the surface of my wife's eyes, and I can tell it's about to overtake her, so I'm not about to argue any further. Right now, she needs me to be the calm one. And I'm miraculously keeping my own fear tampered down for her sake, but I am _freaking_ out inside. This is our baby.

Foregoing the exam gloves, I squeeze a little of the cool gel on her stomach, pressing the ultrasound wand against her skin and slowly circling, watching as the black and white image begins to build on the screen. I glance down at my wife when I hear her let out a heavy sigh, and she clenches her eyes shut - just waiting.

And when the image fully appears on the screen...Audrey _isn't_ really moving. Everything looks normal from what I can tell, and there's definitely a visible heartbeat, but she does seem unusually still.

But...babies sleep, right?

I reach for the monitor and switch on the audio, needing confirmation of the heartbeat I can see in the image. And a moment later, a quick, strong, and steady heartbeat rings out into the exam room - loud and clear.

Arizona's eyes open and she stares at the screen, tears immediately overflowing at the sound of our baby's healthy heartbeat.

"Is she..."

Keeping the ultrasound wand steady with my right hand, I reach out with my left and rub the side of her stomach where Audrey's feet are resting, pressing a little harder than I normally would.

"Hey, little girl..." I press into her again, watching the monitor, "hey, it's mommy. Wake up, baby."

And then I feel it - as strong as ever - a hard kick to my hand.

Relief floods my body as I watch her kick me on screen, and as I continue to massage Arizona's belly she quickly begins stretching and turning a bit, bumping tiny feet and then an elbow into my hand.

"She's okay. Arizona, she's okay – look."

I can't help laugh softly as she curls into herself again, letting out what appears to be a yawn as a foot presses into her momma's stomach wall, as if she's telling me to leave her alone already.

"I think she's annoyed I woke her up."

I'm met with silence from my wife though, and when I look back down, she just stares at the screen for another moment before a sob rips from her throat, her hand sliding up against mine over the faint movements of our baby.

I drop the wand onto the exam table and hastily wipe off the gel before immediately shifting toward her head, and she pushes herself to sitting and grasps onto me, the tears flowing freely as another half sob escapes her. The sound is like a vice squeezing around my heart, searing straight into my soul, and all I can do is wrap my arms around her, holding her close as I stroke my hand over silky hair and whisper reassuringly.

"She's okay; she's okay, honey. She's safe, and protected, and comfortable – she's not going anywhere. She's perfect."

Arizona just presses her face into the crook of my neck, her tears falling against my skin, but the release of tension from her body is apparent as I hold her against me, letting a comforting silence wrap around us in the small room. I run my hand through her hair again, and softly down over her back, and finally she lifts her head to look at me - her eyes, through the tears, filled with relief and genuine gratitude that our baby girl is safe inside her.

"Nothing to worry about," I offer her a smile, dropping a light kiss on the corner of her eye as an errant tear escapes, "you're just keeping her so cozy in there that she wanted to nap for a little longer. Maybe she was dreaming – do babies dream in utero?"

A small smile graces her face and she looks down, smoothing her hand over her stomach where it's pressed between us. And she laughs, softly, as something bumps against her hand again, the movement faintly visible under her skin.

"I don't know. I'd like to think so."

"What do you think she dreams about? Ponies? Probably unicorns, since she's related to you."

"Maybe she dreams about us."

And her smile grows a little wider, her eyes no longer filled with fear as she meets my gaze. I kiss her softly, twining our fingers together, my own heart resuming its normal beat knowing that all of my girls are going to be just fine.

"You know, maybe she does."

.

.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hold My Hand, by Hootie & The Blowfish_

_._

_._

**_Callie_ **

"Arizona, I think you're getting sick."

I watch from the bathroom, toothbrush in hand, as my wife drags herself around the room picking up some stray laundry and shoving it in the basket. She looks exhausted. And irritated. And...slightly nauseous.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired - the girls had a rough day."

"Mmhm," I spit into the sink, rinsing my mouth and dropping the toothbrush beside her pink one, "you spent the day with two flu-ridden kids. I know you're a peds surgeon and have an immune system of steel, but your chances for escaping that are pretty slim, honey."

"I'm fine."

I glance over again as the blonde grumbles slightly, climbing into bed and laying back with a low groan - evidently not so fine despite her protests.

Arizona Robbins-Torres does _not_ handle sick very well.

And she doesn't get sick very often, either, considering we have an eight-year-old who brings home god-only-knows what kind of school germs, and a three-year-old who brings home daycare germs on a regular basis. But when she does - I've learned not to poke the dragon.

"I'm gonna go check on the girls, make sure everyone's sleeping - can I get you anythi-?"

I trail off as I approach the bed and see the other woman's eyes already closed, soft breaths skirting across the pillow. She barely even made it under the covers, she's so worn out.

Pulling the blankets up the rest of the way, I tuck her in gently and smooth back loose blonde waves from her forehead, smiling a little as she sighs under my touch. Her forehead doesn't feel warm, but the exhaustion is clearly written across her face even now, so I turn from the bed and pad across the room as quietly as I can so I don't disturb her.

Not sick my ass.

 

*

 

Arizona's off from work the next day as well, so when Sofia and Audrey both wake up still too sick for school, she immediately switches into caregiver mode and insists on taking over while I get ready to head in to the hospital.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay? I can get Edwards to push our surgeries today - there's nothing that can't wait a day or two."

"Calliope."

She draws my name out slightly, looking over her shoulder from the kitchen table.

"We're fine, I promise. I feel fine. I'm sure they're on the tail end of this flu by now, so we'll probably just spend the day watching movies and drinking Pedialyte."

"If you're sure..." I sigh softly, crossing the kitchen and wrapping my arms around her shoulders from behind, "but call me if you need anything, okay?"

"I will."

She turns her head just enough to capture my lips in a gentle kiss, and I hum in appreciation, grabbing my travel mug from where it sits beside her. The thought that I probably shouldn't be kissing her germ-ridden self vaguely registers in the back of my mind, but what can I say? I live on the edge.

"You definitely earn bonus points for spending your days off playing nurse. I'll make it up to you."

"Oh?"

Despite the fact that she _is_ obviously feeling under the weather, her eyebrow quirks up and a sly smile tugs at the corners of her lips, making them irresistible to me as I lean in for another quick kiss. Hell - if I'm gonna catch the flu, I have it by now anyway.

"I'll think of something..."

 

*

 

I manage to get away immediately after my second surgery, and although I haven't heard from Arizona all day, I stop by the grocery store on my way home and pick up some more soup, and crackers, and Pedialyte. And some ice cream for good measure. If everyone's feeling better, we can have a post-supper treat. And if they're not, well...I can eat it after they all go to bed.

"I'm home!"

Toeing my shoes off at the front door, I pause for a moment when I don't hear a response from the depths of the house. I take the grocery bag down to the kitchen and stash things away, and quietly peek around the entrance to the living room - my heart swelling in my chest when my eyes land on the pile of bodies snuggled up on the couch.

All three of them are fast asleep, the credits from _101 Dalmatians_ still rolling quietly on the television. Arizona is stretched out on her back with one arm around Sofia, who's curled along her side - and the other around Audrey who's snoozing on top of her, head pillowed against her breasts. There's a wastepaper basket filled with bunched up tissues sitting by the coffee table, along with another empty plastic garbage can, and a collection of fleece blankets are haphazardly piled over the couch and the floor and the legs of my three sleeping beauties.

Crouching down to pick up a discarded sippy cup, I gently smooth my palm over Arizona's forehead, feeling a definite feverish heat from her skin. A pang of guilt immediately hits me; she'd spent her only two days off in the past three weeks at home nursing our sick children, and now she's clearly sick herself. I'm sure it's not _exactly_ what she had planned.

"Mm...Callie?"

She blinks a little blearily, opening one eye first to look up at me, and I smile, leaning closer to press a kiss to her warm brow.

"Hey, I'm home."

She sighs softly, letting her eyelids flutter shut at the gentle touch, and her voice is weary and resigned when she speaks again.

"I think I'm sick."

"Yeah," I bite my lip a little - because even flu-ridden and miserable, she's so damn beautiful, "I think you are, honey."

She opens her eyes again and glances down at Sofia, who only snuffles a little and burrows further into her. Audrey hasn't moved a muscle since I've gotten here, but I let my hand rest against her head and am pleased to feel that her fever has broken, so she's probably feeling a lot better than she did this morning.

"Go back to sleep, sweetie. I'll make some soup for these two and take it from here."

A deep sigh escapes the blonde woman then, and her eyes glance over toward me again, the beginnings of a slight, adorable pout forming on her lips.

"Callie?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you make soup for me too?"

.

.


	5. Chapter 5

_Are You With Me, by Lost Frequencies_

_._

_._

_**Arizona** _

"Do you think Sofia's okay?"

"Sofia is fine. She's probably having a blast with your parents already."

"We've never _both_ been away from her for a full week..."

"Arizona, Sofia is fine."

Callie smiles indulgently, leaning in to capture my lips in a soft kiss, effectively silencing me. We'd touched down in Mexico about an hour ago, and were now checking into a beautiful resort in Mazatlán - five stars, couples only, positively bathed in luxury - for our second honeymoon. But it _was_ the first time we'd be away from Sofia for this long, and I can't help but worry. Although admittedly, my wife's lips have already gone a long way towards making me feel better.

"Mm..okay..." sighing softly, I pull back only an inch and smile, "Sofia is fine."

The lobby of the main building is partially open to a large courtyard and the sun is shining down, wrapping us in warmth as the scent of exotic flowers floats through the air. Even though Seattle is nice this time of year, it's a welcome change. And even more a welcome change is the fact that we won't have to work for the next seven days, and it will be just the two of us - free to do _whatever_ we want.

Our room overlooks the beach, close enough that I can immediately hear the waves crashing along the shore upon entering. There's a large balcony, a stocked mini-bar, and the most beautiful walk-in shower and bathroom that I've ever seen. We didn't hold anything back for this trip, choosing to escape reality completely, and as I watch Callie gazing out the patio doors - the sun framing her beautiful silhouette - I know it was worth every dime.

"Nice view, Mrs. Torres."

I quietly approach her from behind and wrap my arms around her waist, pressing a kiss to the warm, exposed skin of her shoulder. She is perfect, in every way. And I'm so happy she's mine again.

"Not bad, Mrs. Robbins-Torres," she turns in my arms after a moment, a smile gracing her features as she gazes at me, "but not as good as this one."

Her fingers reach up to smooth back a piece of my hair - already curling from the ocean air - and I can feel my entire body start to unwind at last. Sofia is safe at home, we have no pagers, and we have no responsibilities other than drinking margaritas and applying sunscreen and digging our toes into the sand.

"Kiss me, Calliope."

"Te besare para siempre, mi amor. _" (I'll kiss you forever, my love.)_

She speaks the words in a soft murmur before her lips descend upon mine, and as she kisses me slowly, our bodies instinctively intertwining with each other, a deep pang of desire races through me like fire. I pull her against me, sighing into her kisses as I walk us backwards toward our honeymoon bed. Beaches be damned, _this_ is how our vacation is starting out.

 _"_ Te amaré por siempre. _" (I'll love you forever.)_

_*_

 

It's not until much later that night that we finally emerge from our suite, our desire for food and drink finally outweighing the desire to stay wrapped up in each others' bodies. Callie is completely at ease - completely relaxed - as she animatedly greets every staff member we meet, and she coaxes me to use my Spanish throughout dinner, both of us laughing when the waiter can only grin politely at my horrible accent. He brings us several rounds of margaritas as the night wears on, each one tasting better than the last as my body and my mind ease into a content state of bliss. There's a band playing out near the pool behind us, the lively Latin beats carrying across the open patio, and although it seems to be a beautiful night out there, there aren't that many people gathered. I sip the last of my drink, my gaze travelling across the table to the radiant beauty in front of me, and she just smiles knowingly, her skin glowing in the dim light, her eyes shining brightly. She rises from her seat and she reaches her hand out towards me with a grin.

"Ven a bailar conmigo." _(Come dance with me.)_

And to that request - I can never say no.

She twines our fingers and leads me out toward the music, finding a spot off to the side under the twinkling of multiple strings of lights. The setting seems magical; ethereal in a way. It's like we're lost in our own little bubble - filled with the warmth of the night, the light from the stars, the breeze off the ocean - and no one else exists except the two of us. Her strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me close, and with the overwhelming scent of her and the alcohol coursing lightly through my system, my body seems to instinctively know what to do. I dance with her, our hips moving as one, my arms draping lazily around her neck - and nothing has ever seemed so right.

"Eres tan hermosa, Calliope. Soy la mujer con la mas suerte en el mundo." _(You're so beautiful, Calliope. I'm the luckiest woman in the world.)_

Her eyes smile down at me as she laughs happily and presses a kiss to my cheek, and she nuzzles my ear affectionately, her voice low and soft in my ear.

" _Yo_ soy la mujer que tiene buena suerte." _(*I'm* the lucky one.)_

.

.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hold Me Up, by Colin Sewell_

_._

_._

_**Arizona** _

Glancing at the clock in the kitchen, I let out a tired sigh as I drop my keys on the counter, finally home after another ridiculously long day at work. The last month it feels like every pregnant woman on the west coast has been in my operating room – and even though Alex handles more than half of the peds cases now, I've been treating tiny humans left and right too, making for not only long days physically, but some mentally exhausting ones.

I quietly head towards the fridge, pulling it open and finding a Tupperware of leftover pasta on the top shelf. I'd missed supper at home – again.

And I know Callie won't be happy about it; I know she's been annoyed at the amount of time I've spent at the hospital lately, even though she hasn't said anything. But on top of the influx of surgeries, I have my research as well – and it's been going incredibly well over the last couple of months. I'm perfecting a new technique to treat spina bifida in utero; which is _huge_ , because it's never been done before by a fetal surgeon. It's never been done because it's generally not life threatening, but I discovered during surgery last year for something else that it _could_ be done, and it _did_ make a difference. I'd been treating a fetus for a heart condition who also presented with spina bifida, and although it hadn't been in my surgical plan, once I was in there I realized that I could fix both at once. And after his birth, that baby hadn't needed any further surgery. He had been fine – he was learning to walk now, right on schedule, when so many babies who only got the surgery after birth had to deal with life-altering disabilities.

It's slightly crazy, which I'm well aware of, and it's incredibly risky – but just because it's not a life threatening condition doesn't mean it's not a life-altering one. And if I can fix it in utero, then I'm damn well going to do it. And I'm going to make it the norm.

I stab my fork into the pasta, eating a few mouthfuls as I lean against the kitchen counter. I just need to perfect the technique a _little_ more and I can start a clinical trial.

Mulling over my work as I finish off my late supper, I set the empty container into the sink and head out and down the hall, careful to step quietly through the dark house. I stop at Audrey's bedroom, peering in and seeing the young girl fast asleep, curled around her favourite stuffed penguin. Softly walking towards the bed, I drop a kiss on her forehead before fixing her blankets a little and crossing the hall to see Sofia.

The thirteen-year-old's room is slightly messier than her sister's, but I make my way around the clothes to her bed, smoothing my hand gently over her dark hair where it lays splayed across her pillow. I feel a slight pang of guilt as I look down at her – I know I haven't spent as much time with the girls lately as usual. I lightly kiss her temple as well, tucking her unicorn (that she insists she doesn't need to sleep anymore) in beside her before I head down to my own bedroom, ready to fall in beside my wife and crash.

The light is still on in our bedroom though, despite the fact that it's nearing 12:30 at night, and as I shut the door quietly behind me I see Callie still sitting up, a book in her hands.

"Hey," I speak softly, undressing as I cross the room, "I didn't think you'd be up."

She slips a bookmark between the pages and sets the book aside, glancing up.

"I couldn't fall asleep. Figured I'd wait up for you."

"I'm exhausted."

Barely even bothering to change – I just strip down to my underwear and the camisole I was wearing under my shirt – I sit heavily on the side of the bed to remove my prosthesis, propping it beside the nightstand before I rub my thigh a little and shift back under the covers.

"My head is killing me, too," I sigh in relief at the soft mattress below me, bringing a hand up to rub at my forehead, "sorry I'm home so late. Thanks for keeping some supper."

The brunette doesn't say anything for a few minutes, but eventually she leans up and reaches over me, picking up my phone from where I dropped it on my nightstand and setting it in the charging dock – knowing I'll be annoyed in the morning that I forgot.

"You know, you keep getting headaches because you're only sleeping four or five hours a night. You can't keep going like this, Arizona. You're not an intern."

"It's been busy. And I have to get as much time in the lab as I can."

"Arizona, you know as well as I do that you make your own schedule. You have Karev and Gillis working under you. And Gillis is a brilliant fetal surgeon - you've said so yourself. You _trained_ her."

Something in her tone makes me open my eyes again, and I look over at her, still sitting bathed in the light from the lamp.

"Yeah, but she doesn't have as much experience and I still need—"

"You _need_ to be home with your kids now and again!" Callie gives me a disbelieving look, shaking her head a little, "I'm just saying, you could give yourself a bit of a break. They _miss_ you."

"Callie, I'm trying to perfect some life-altering surgery here, and I'm so close...if I can just get..."

"So spend time in the lab and hand off some surgeries. I know you can be a workaholic, Arizona, but you're burning yourself out."

"Wait, whoa. I am so not a workaholic."

I sit up, a slight flare of annoyance colouring my voice at my wife's accusation.

"You've been home between 11:30 and midnight every day this week," she replies, "and most of last week. And the last month. You're up by 6 o'clock and back at the hospital by 8 most mornings. You haven't even taken your scheduled days off because you went to work extra time in the lab. We haven't even spent half a day together in at least a month."

"But I am _so_ close, don't you get that? Look at how much time you spent working on your bionics last year – you still do!"

"Yeah, but a little less obsessively. And generally during work hours. It's fine, Arizona – I get it. I know you're going to save even more babies with this. All I'm saying is it'd be nice to have you home with us again, you know? My job is demanding too, and on top of it I've felt like a freaking single mother for the last month. Your _own_ kids need you too."

And maybe we're both just over-tired, and maybe emotions are just running high, but she snaps a little on her last words and I can see tears of anger or frustration or maybe both starting to collect in her eyes.

" _I_ need you."

"Calliope..."

Any anger I was feeling towards my wife immediately disappears, and I shift closer, pulling her into my arms. Maybe she's right...I _am_ burning myself out, and it's clearly affecting my family too. And I do miss them.

"I know your work is important," she hugs me close, sighing into the embrace, "it's important to me too – and you're...you're being _awesome_. You're so brilliant. But we miss you. And you need to sleep, you need to eat actual meals...even the nights I bring supper to you, I know you barely touch it," she leans up, eyes meeting mine, "you can't work yourself to death. I'm worried about you."

I sigh heavily – my head's still pounding, my leg aches; my body is absolutely exhausted. She's right. Callie and the girls are what centre me, keep me grounded. And my work _is_ important, but...never as important as them.

"I just...I'm _so_ close," I sigh, leaning my forehead against hers, "I'm almost ready to get approval for a trial. I know I can get it."

"I know you can too," she slides her hand along my neck, softly massaging the knots toward the back, "and you will, Arizona. But you need to let yourself breathe, too. And you need to let us support you. Just tonight over supper, Sof was asking what she could do to help your research...she said she looked at the school library today for books on fetal surgery but she couldn't find any. She wanted to help so you didn't have to work so late."

At that I can't help but smile – our daughter is already such a budding little scientist. And such a beautiful, caring little girl.

"I promise I'll be home early tomorrow – in time for dinner. I'm sorry I've been-"

Callie leans up a touch, dark eyes holding my gaze as she cuts me off.

"It's okay. But more than just tomorrow. I promise you, with some good nights' sleep and some actual relaxation...that crazy beautiful mind of yours is going to be working even _better_. You've got this, honey, but we can hold you up, ok? You need us as much as we need you."

"I know..." I sigh softly, nodding, "and you're right. I need you to pull me back sometimes."

She reaches behind her and flips the lamp off, shifting down onto the bed and pulling me into her arms without another word. I just sigh gratefully, curling into her warm body, and my eyes flutter shut as she pulls the covers up over us, pressing a kiss to my temple.

"Sleep now," she murmurs, soothingly trailing her hand along my back, "we're done arguing. I'm just glad you're home."

I yawn into her neck, snuggling closer, my hand slipping in to rest along the bare skin of her waist. She is just what I needed.

"I am too."

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Fetal surgeons actually treated spina bifida in utero for the first time nearly a decade ago, but I wanted Arizona to pioneer something super impressive, and with my limited patience for internet research this was the best I came across. It's still an extremely rare and complicated surgery, so it works for me!


	7. Chapter 7

_Kiss Me, by Sixpence None the Richer_

_._

_._

_**Arizona** _

"I'm a whale. I am actually a giant, beached whale."

"You're not a whale. You're a beautiful dolphin."

I look over my shoulder and just glare at my wife where she's standing behind me, her reflection having suddenly appeared in the bathroom mirror.

"Dolphins are kinda violent, you know. Everyone thinks Flipper is soooo cute, but don't make her mad. Don't make Flipper mad, Calliope."

She has the nerve to just grin at me, and before I can give her my best death stare, she sidles up behind me and wraps her arms around my stomach, her body flush against my back, long hair tickling my shoulder lightly.

"You are the same beautiful, sexy creature you've always been, Arizona. You look incredible."

Sighing slightly as I gaze into the full length mirror, I lean my weight back against her. I feel ginormous. And exhausted. My muscles ache pretty much everywhere from the weight and the expanding ligaments and the baby kicking my insides 24/7, and of course with my luck, Seattle has been having an unseasonably warm summer. I am _so_ ready to be done with this whole pregnancy thing.

"I look 36 weeks pregnant."

Callie rubs her hand over my taut stomach, smiling as a tiny foot kicks hard beneath her palm.

"Hey there, baby. Good morning."

"More like goodnight for her..." I grumble a bit as she kicks me again in the ribs, a feeling I'm well accustomed to, "she's been partying away in there half the night. She'll probably go to sleep now that I'm up."

"I love you and you're amazing. I'm just putting that out there."

She drops a kiss on my bare shoulder, lightly peppering them up the side of my neck.

"I know."

"It's our anniversary tomorrow."

"I know that too," I smile a little, her last kiss tickling below my ear, "we made it a whole year."

Callie laughs again - picking up on my teasing tone - and she turns me in her arms until we're face to face, no longer staring into the mirror.

"You better believe we did. And I expect to make it at least another forty-nine more."

"I'll be ninety years old."

"And I'll be your hot, young wife of eighty-nine."

I can't help the snort that escapes me as I laugh, shaking my head at her expression and the way she raises an eyebrow suggestively.

"Well, probably hotter than I am right now - that's for sure."

The sound of Sofia calling from down the hall reaches us a moment later, and I lean in to press a soft kiss to the corner of Callie's mouth before I pull away. She's already dressed, while I'm still only in a bra and underwear, so she grabs a hair tie from the counter and calls out a reply to our daughter. Her eyes trail over me again for the briefest moment and she smiles, tilting her head a bit as she backs away.

"Don't be too long, beautiful. Breakfast will be waiting."

 

*

 

The next morning I wake up later than normal - I'm on slightly reduced shifts now, and no longer actually performing surgery - and both Callie and Sofia are already gone, leaving the house still and quiet. There's a note from Callie on the nightstand saying she'll see me tonight, and text me later, and as I hold it above my head reading the messy, loopy cursive, I can't help but smile.

One year.

While it's technically our fourth year of marriage, it's the first since the second time around - and somehow, when I think about it, that means even more. Because we struggled to get here; we really, truly fought for this - for each other - and it has been a wonderful, miraculous year.

We didn't make any huge plans for today, both of us happy to keep things low-key. Sofia will be staying over at Meredith's house and we're going out for dinner, probably one of our last nights just the two of us before a new baby comes screaming into our lives.

I sigh as I hoist myself out of bed, though - eternally grateful that Callie helps me get the prosthetic on before she leaves now. I have no idea what I'm going to wear tonight. I'm huge, and ridiculous, and I waddle, and while I love dressing up and going out with my wife, a fancy restaurant sounds less than appealing right now.

Maybe I should just suggest we do take out...

 

*

 

The idea of take-out is quickly nixed when I suggest it by text later that morning, so that evening I find myself back at home getting changed into a new maternity dress I'd gone out to purchase after work, which actually makes me feel like a normal human being. Applying a light dusting of makeup, I fiddle with my hair a bit, rearranging the long, loose waves over my shoulder as I look in the mirror. Callie was dropping off Sofia on her way home from work, and she said she'd changed at the hospital and was ready to go. When I hear the front door open a moment later, I glance in the mirror once more - this is as good as it gets.

"Ready to go-" Callie meets me halfway down the hall, and her words trail off the minute she lays eyes on me, "oh... _wow_. You look amazing."

Smoothing down the soft green fabric, I shoot her a smile.

"Well, you only have one first anniversary, after all."

"Or two, in our case," Callie quips, leaning in to drop a kiss on my cheek, "come on, let's get going."

But when she leads me out the front door, locking it behind us, instead of heading towards the car in the driveway she takes my hand and...heads around the corner of the house, unlatching the wooden gate and walking us into the backyard.

"Callie, what are we..."

We round the back corner of the house and I'm left absolutely speechless when my eyes take in the scene before me.

The entire backyard is lit up - the two oak trees are wrapped and draped with twinkling white lights, and long strings of the same lights hang overhead across the yard, connecting to the corner of the roof. Our small outdoor table is set up beneath the trees, soft light from several jar candles flickering in the breeze, a large bouquet of flowers overflowing on one side, and suddenly there's music playing from somewhere in the background - the finishing touch on an incredibly beautiful atmosphere.

"I know you're feeling pretty uncomfortable these days..." Callie bites her lip almost shyly when I look at her, "and you have to pee every half hour, and you're tired...so I thought instead of going out for the evening we could just...celebrate here."

I'm still just stunned, my eyes taking in every inch of the magical scene in front of me. Callie takes my hand again, giving it a gentle squeeze, and she leads me across the grass to the table, where I now see an incredible smelling array of food is laid out for us.

"I got catering from that Italian place you like..."

I can't help the tears that start to pool in my eyes when I turn to look at her; her gaze filled with love and the soft light surrounding her making her seem more beautiful and radiant than ever.

"I love you so much, Calliope. This is..." I reach up, fingertips grazing her cheek as I curl my hand around her jaw, " _incredible_."

She smiles widely, evidently pleased with my reaction, and she takes my hand, turning her head to kiss my palm.

"Just like you."

 

*

 

Hours later, we've eaten our fill of delicious food and talked and laughed about every subject under the sun, our conversation comfortable and light and interspersed with smiles and touches and lingering glances across the table. The music changes in a moment of silence, and when the opening strains of one of our favourite songs come on, I push myself up from my chair, smoothing my dress down and holding a hand out to my wife with a smile.

"Dance with me."

She gladly accepts, twining her fingers with mine as we take a few steps away from the table. Our bare feet are silent in the cool grass, and the twinkling of the lights as they sway in the breeze casts a soft glow over us. She tries to wrap her arms around my waist, and I just laugh softly when she can barely make it, instead having to settle her hands on my hips with the large swell of my stomach between us. I drape my arms around her neck as best I can and lean in, and we slowly start to move together to the music.

"I know you don't believe me," she begins softly, her dark eyes shimmering in the light as she looks at me, "but you are just...you're so gorgeous right now, Arizona. Everything about you. Tonight, every night...you take my breath away."

I smile, swaying gently with her, and I lean in until I can press a soft kiss to her lips.

"Breathless."

"Completely."

She lets out a soft sigh before kissing me again, and I honestly don't know if I've ever been happier than I am in this moment.

"I know the feeling," I trail my hand along her neck and into the silky strands of her hair, "and you make me feel beautiful. You make me feel..." I blink a little, suddenly overcome with emotion after the wonderful evening we've had, "you make me feel... _everything_."

And she just smiles again, the expression lighting up her entire face - the entire _yard_ \- as we continue to dance in a slow circle around each other. It's like nothing else matters in the world other than the two of us - and maybe, tonight, it doesn't.

"Happy anniversary."

.

.


	8. Chapter 8

_Let it Go, by Dragonette_

_._

_._

_**Callie** _

.

"Sof, I wanna go too!"

"I don't care. You're not coming with me, get out of my room!"

"No! Let me go to the party!"

"No! I don't want a _kid_ hanging onto me all night, I haven't seen my friends in like six months."

"I'm not a _kid_ , I'm fourteen!"

"Yeah, exactly. I'm nineteen."

"That doesn't mean I'm a kid...c'mon, Sof, just let me come. I won't bother you."

"No. I don't need my baby sister trailing after me all night. You're staying home."

"You suck."

"Whatever. Get out, Audrey."

"I hate you!"

"Yeah well I hate you too! What're you gonna do, tell moms?!"

"At least moms _wanted_ me!"

And of course that is the moment I happen to be walking past Sofia's bedroom – my youngest daughter's words bringing me to an immediate halt outside the closed door. I'd heard them arguing from the living room, but it hadn't seemed like anything that serious. They're sisters, and teenagers – they argue sometimes, but they still love each other. Sofia had just gotten home for the summer after her first year away at Johns Hopkins, and I know Audrey was eager to see her older sister and tag along on whatever she was doing, but suddenly an argument over a party was turning into something _entirely_ different.

"Fuck you, Audrey."

"Whoa, whoa," at that I have to make my presence known, pushing open the bedroom door, "Sofia Robbin Sloan, Audrey Rosa, you both get out here right now."

"Mom, she swore at me!"

Sofia just rolls her eyes, dropping the outfit she'd taken from her still-unpacked suitcase onto the bed.

"Did you hear what she said to me?"

"I didn't say anything!"

"Living room, now. Both of you."

I grab Audrey's shoulders and turn the younger girl away from her sister, anger and annoyance glaring obviously in her piercing blue eyes, and I steer her out into the hall while I wait for Sofia to follow. Enough is enough.

"Come on, I'm a grown-up. I'm nineteen. I don't need to be disciplined like some kind of—"

I just shake my head and point towards the couch.

"Sit."

"What is all the yelling going on?"

I look up as Arizona joins us in the living room, a questioning look on her face, and I just sigh, motioning her over to sit beside me on the loveseat that sits at a right angle to the couch.

"It's nothing - Audrey and I were arguing, that's all. She wants to come out with me tonight and I said she couldn't and she made it into a big thing."

I watch as Sofia plucks absently at a loose thread on the couch cushion, her voice calm and collected although she's avoiding eye contact with any of us. It's a trait she definitely inherited from Arizona – she's always had that same stoic front, rarely one to volunteer her true feelings.

"I just wanna hang out with you," Audrey lets out a small sigh of defeat, leaning back into the couch, "you just got home and you don't even want to spend time with me anymore."

I can sense my wife about to speak but I lay a hand on her thigh, silencing her for a moment. Our kids are pretty good at working things out between them without us interfering, and I want to give them a second now that everyone's calmed down a bit.

"Of course I want to spend time with you, moron," I watch as our eldest turns to her sister, the name-calling affectionate rather than mean-spirited, "we're spending all weekend together, aren't we? I told you I wanted to go to Alki Beach tomorrow."

"Yeah but only cause moms made you, probably. You want to hang out with Zola and Megan first."

"I want to see Zola cause she literally just got home today – and she's not staying all summer, you know. She invited me to go to Portland this weekend but I said I couldn't cause I had plans with you."

Audrey is silent for a moment, and I can see the shifting emotions flitting through her eyes. Much like myself, the younger girl wears her heart upon her sleeve.

"I mean, you'll barely even _know_ any of the people at the party tonight – not really. You'd be bored, A."

The younger girl is silent for another few minutes, and she crosses her arms, her expression now tinged with hurt.

"You said you hated me."

"You said you hated me first!"

"Hey, okay – come on you two," Arizona speaks up from beside me, giving them both a look, "nobody hates anyone here."

Sofia goes back to picking at her loose thread absentmindedly, but I can tell that the argument is still bothering her. Specifically, I think _one_ thing is truly bothering her, but I know she'll never admit to it.

"I think there's something else you shouldn't have said to your sister, Audrey."

I raise my eyebrow slightly at the fourteen-year-old, and I know she sees it.

"It's fine, mom," Sofia speaks up, nodding her chin towards the hall, "I'm sorry we were yelling. Can I go?"

"Sof..."

When I glance up, Audrey looks stricken with guilt, and Arizona just looks confused as she glances between the three of us.

"Audrey, what did you say?"

When the young girl doesn't respond right away, instead averting her eyes to her lap, Sofia just shrugs a shoulder and speaks quietly.

"She said at least you guys wanted her. It's no big deal. I mean..."

The blonde audibly takes in a breath, her blue eyes immediately finding our older daughter's as she leans forward and reaches up to trace her thumb along the young woman's jaw. I decide to just give her a moment; let her take it from here.

"Sofia..."

"It's fine, momma. I know it's not true..." she shrugs a little again, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, "it's fine."

"It's not fine. Sweetie, look at me."

I just watch quietly as Sofia looks up again at her mother, her eyes betraying the slightest bit of hurt behind her façade of indifference. I know she doesn't believe it – I know she _never_ has – but to hear something like that said, even out of anger, had to have stung all the same.

Arizona reaches for her hand, twining their fingers together. The two of them have always had a special bond, right from the start, and it's never been more apparent than it is in this moment.

"Sofia...you are nineteen years old this year. And do you know how long I've loved you?"

Without waiting for an answer, the blonde smiles softly and continues.

"I have loved you with all my heart for nineteen years and seven months. From the minute mom told me about you, and we saw you on that ultrasound..." she smiles a little wider at the memory, her eyes softening even further, "Sofia, I loved you _so much_. We both loved you, right away. And we wanted you more than anything. We couldn't wait to meet you."

I shift forward a bit to sit on the edge of the loveseat and curl my hand around Arizona's arm.

"Momma's right. And yeah...we may have planned things a little differently with your sister, but that doesn't for a second change how happy we were about you."

"I know," Sofia smiles at our words, although she's heard the story before, and she leans up out of her seat to hug Arizona tightly, "I know, trust me. I never thought otherwise."

"I didn't mean it..." Audrey speaks quietly from the other end of the couch, remorse evident in her voice when her sister turns to look at her, "I'm sorry, Sof. I'm sorry I said that."

"Yeah, I know you are. Come here."

And she scrambles up off the couch when Sofia opens her arms, the two embracing immediately for a long moment before the older brunette pulls back, smiling down at her little sister. Watching them, it's obvious that they still share a bond as strong as ever. We always worried the age difference would keep them from being friends as well as siblings, but we must have done something right after all.

"And I'm sorry I called you a kid - you're not a baby anymore. Even if you are short."

"Hey, I am not!"

"You totally are though," Sofia laughs, "so - Alki Beach tomorrow, you and me? Momma already said we can have the car – we can blast the tunes and stop at Sugar Mountain on the way."

Audrey just grins, the dimples she inherited from Arizona on full display. It seems all is already forgotten between them, and I can't help but smile and squeeze my wife's hand as I watch the beautiful young women our children have become.

"I can't wait."

.

.


	9. Chapter 9

_Heal Over, by KT Tunstall_

_._

_._

_**Arizona** _

"Twelve-year-old female, signs of concussion, possible fracture of the right collarbone..." trying not to choke on my words, I hop down from the back of the ambulance as it comes to a stop behind the hospital, "possible internal injuries. Bike versus car."

The paramedics take charge, swiftly wheeling the stretcher through the emergency room doors as Alex and April and a host of residents surround us, having been paged on the way from the driver of the rig. I follow closely by the side of the bed, grasping onto my daughter's hand, my mind reeling a mile a minute as I try to contain my emotions and bark medical orders at the doctors around us.

"She was wearing a helmet and it was a slow speed collision but we need a head CT and a full body scan—"

"Arizona."

I feel a hand on my upper arm but I shrug it off, my focus solely on the little girl laying in front of me – _my_ baby girl.

"I want x-rays of the right arm and shoulder and we need to—"

"Arizona."

"-stabilize the arm until we get the results. And you need to page neuro - page Amelia Shepherd -"

"Arizona!"

Alex pulls me back, grasping both my shoulders as he turns me away to face him. Tears are streaming down my face, the panic and reality of the situation overtaking my professionalism as my youngest daughter lays prone and semi-conscious behind me. She'd been riding her bike, right in front of the house, and the car had come out of nowhere around the corner. I should have been watching. I should have been out there.

"That is Audrey! That is my _daughter!"_

"Arizona – step away! I got her."

Pushing me gently off to the side, he motions to one of his residents.

"Stay with her, and don't let her follow us. And page Torres!"

I watch numbly as Alex hurries off, catching up to the team wheeling my daughter to CT.

The car came out of nowhere. How did this happen to us...again?

 

*

 

"She's going to be just fine."

Alex tucks his tablet under his arm and turns to face Callie and I, speaking gently as he walks us away from our daughter's bed to the hallway right outside. Multiple tests and scans and several hours later, Audrey is settled into a patient room on the peds ward, fast asleep under the watchful eyes of the nurses who know us like family. My heart is still pounding in my chest and my wife's eyes are on the constant verge of tears, the panic still clearly evident in her expression as she watches Alex expectantly.

"She's fine, Callie..." he touches her arm gently, and I take her hand in mine, holding it tightly as he speaks, "she's a tough one, you know. We bandaged up the scrapes on her arm, but they were only surface abrasions. And her shoulder is going to be sore for a week or two, but it's not broken, and no signs of any brain or other internal injury."

I start to speak up, the peds surgeon in me surging forward, but he interrupts before I have a chance.

"And yes, we've scanned three times since she came in, every hour. She doesn't even have a concussion – she was awake shortly after we got her out of CT, so she was probably just stunned more than anything. I have no concerns, and neither does Dr. Shepherd. And Audrey was more worried about missing her guitar lesson than anything."

"I want to see the x-rays."

Callie reaches for the tablet but Alex swiftly moves it away from her, pointedly giving her a look.

"Fine, you can see the x-rays. But first you're gonna spend some time with your kid and let the panic settle. You two aren't doctors right now."

"You know, technically you're her godfather so you shouldn't be on her case either," Callie grumbles a bit, turning to glance back through the window, "how is that fair?"

"I'm not her _parent_."

I pull Callie's hand and give it a reassuring squeeze, speaking softly.

"Thanks, Alex."

My wife follows me without further protest, twining her fingers tightly with mine as we walk around to the side of the bed again, and I pull the guest chairs as close as I can while glancing over the monitor hooked up to our daughter.

"This is all my fault..." I murmur softly, letting out a heavy sigh as I settle into the seat beside Callie, "she wanted to ride up and down the street while we got ready to leave and I thought it would be fine. It was ten minutes, tops...I went back in to grab my phone charger but I should have been watching her. I should have told her no. God, this could have been so bad, Callie...this could have been..." I wipe at my eyes, smoothing my hand back over the blanket covering Audrey's leg, "that's _both_ our daughters now that could have been killed because of me."

"Hey, this is not your fault, do you hear me?"

Dark eyes meet mine as the other woman gently touches my chin, forcing me to meet her gaze.

"She's twelve, Arizona. We can't watch her all the time, and we can't keep her in a bubble."

And I know she's right - our youngest is on the verge of being a teenager, and we _can't_ be watching her every second of the day. And we don't need to; she's a smart, responsible kid because we've raised her to be that way. But all the same, she's our baby. And the last place I ever wanted to see her was in a hospital bed.

"Why do moving vehicles hate our family?"

I lean my head on Callie's shoulder with a sigh, just watching the young girl breathe in and out, and I feel a gentle kiss to the crown of my head as a warm hand embraces mine again.

"I mean, boats and trains seem to be okay..."

"Are we going on a boat?"

The familiar, sweet voice of our daughter draws my attention up to her face, and I can't help but smile as she lets out a big yawn, frowning slightly as she spots the hospital monitor and the sling and bandages wrapped around her arm.

"What happened...?" she looks at Callie, blinking a bit under the haze of pain meds, "oh. I fell off my bike? Is it okay?"

A grin tugs at Callie's face as she reaches out, lovingly smoothing dark hair off the girl's forehead, and I can see the relief written all over her expression.

"You needed a bigger one soon anyway, sweetie."

Audrey just wrinkles her nose, laying her head back on the pillow with a slight pout.

"My shoulder hurts."

"Well...Sofia's going to sneak in some supper soon, and," I watch as the older brunette leans close to the bed, squeezing my hand a little, "I think momma's super-magic smile will make you feel _way_ better."

My wife's words tug at my heart immediately, and as I watch her with our youngest daughter the smile easily appears on my face. Audrey looks at me and her eyes light up too, even through the pain in her shoulder, and her smile matches mine as I stand up to press a kiss to her forehead.

Everything is going to be alright - and that's all that really matters.

"Yeah...I feel better already."

.

.


	10. Chapter 10

_True Love, by P!nk (featuring Lily Allen)_

.

.

_**Arizona** _

"God, you can be so freakin' pedantic!"

" _I'm_ pedantic? We're surgeons, it's not exactly a bad quality!"

Callie rolls her eyes, not even bothering to hide the exasperation on her face as she gestures toward me.

"Yeah but you don't need to run our household like your O.R. It's not exactly a life or death situation if there are a few pieces of clothing on the floor."

"A few pieces?" I look around the bedroom, motioning to the pile of Callie's garments haphazardly strewn all around the laundry hamper, " _all_ your clothes are on the floor, Callie. They are _always_ on the floor. I mean seriously how hard is it!"

"Oh my god, Arizona. I just don't see what the big deal is!"

"I just hate it; it looks _messy_. When you take off your clothes, just throw them into the damn hamper."

I bend over and grab a handful of various fabrics, dropping things into the wicker basket.

"Will you stop that."

I grab another shirt and shove it into the hamper, purposefully giving her a look as I do.

"Well somebody has to do it. I already have a seven-year-old and a two-year-old to clean up after but you know, I guess I can take care of one more child."

Callie raises an eyebrow at that, her eyes taking on a challenging look as I make a show of shaking out a pair of her wrinkled dress pants that were in a heap by the bed. A pair of underwear falls out of them, and I just grab them from the floor too with an exasperated sigh.

"Don't be an asshole."

"No, it's fine, really Callie - "

I know I'm purposefully pressing her buttons now, but I can't help it, and I wave a hand toward her as I scoop up a stray, dirty sock.

"If you want us to live like a couple of college freshmen-"

A strong arm reaches out and Callie pulls me toward her, making me stumble a bit as I'm tugged unceremoniously against her. The flash of annoyance in her eyes doesn't go unnoticed, but a second later she spins us around and I feel luscious curves press me against the bedroom wall, the sock plucked from my hand and tossed far over my shoulder to the floor again.

My mind has barely registered what's happening and her hands are all over me - one of them sliding under the front of my tank top, the other tangling in my hair as she crashes her lips against mine. I kiss her back, instincts kicking in, and she pins me firmly against the wall in a clear show of domination. She kisses me almost feverishly; her tongue sliding over mine in an insistent exploration, and her teeth nip at me as a low growl escapes her throat.

I'm still angry at her, and more than a little annoyed, but it takes my mind a few minutes to catch up as the hand that was snaking under my top pinches at my breast. I groan loudly into her mouth, almost ready to simply submit, but despite my body's longing to keep going, I grab her shoulders and push her away from me with a slight huff of breath. The brunette whimpers slightly, darkening brown eyes glaring at me, and it takes everything I have to pull her hands off me again and hold her at bay.

"Callie..."

I breathe her name into the low light of the room, trying to give it a tone of warning, but it comes out more like a breathless plea as I stare into her lustful eyes.

"Calliope," I draw her name out slightly this time, and I press my hands firmly against her shoulders, "we're not done fighting. I'm so mad at you right now."

Callie's always been stronger than I am though, and she pushes toward me, grasping my wrists and holding them up on either side of me. I know she could take me right now if she wanted to, and I couldn't really protest. I _wouldn't_ really protest - because who's going to argue against the best sex they've ever had? But I'm still annoyed about the clothes and she's just trying to distract me from that fact.

She leans in then, her lips millimetres from mine, and I glance down as the tip of her tongue darts out to lick them. She's just being mean now, and she knows it.

"Stop trying to distract me..."

I manage to breathe out the words, my brain quickly losing control as my body responds to her very presence. I can feel her warm breath against my lips, and although no part of her is currently touching me except for the hands pinning me back, it's like I can feel her all over.

"You're _hot_ when you're angry."

Her voice is lowered now, to the sex-laden tone she knows will make me weak in the knees, and she darts her tongue out once more, this time letting it trail lightly along my own bottom lip. I resist the urge to capture her lips in a kiss, but I know if she keeps this up I won't be able to hold out for long. Calliope Torres knows _exactly_ what drives me crazy - and the longer we're together, the better she gets at doing it. She glances up at me and a smirk forms on her lips - she knows very well that I'm about to break.

"You're not _really_ mad at me, are you?"

She draws the words out as her thumb starts tracing light circles over my wrist, and I'm not sure which distracts me more - the insistent touch, or the throaty sound of her voice. I squeeze my eyes shut, but I can feel her soft breath against my ear now, and that alone is almost enough to make me lose control.

"I am _annoyed_ ," I swallow thickly as her tongue traces the shell of my ear, "you never...pick up the damn clothes."

She kisses just behind my ear and then licks at the sensitive skin - the spot that always drives me insane - and a shudder runs down my spine almost instantly.

"You want me to pick them up right now?"

She murmurs against my ear before drawing my earlobe between her lips, nibbling lightly. She's still holding her body away from mine, only her lips and her hands making contact, but it's driving me absolutely, completely insane.

Releasing my earlobe after a moment, she trails her tongue down along my jaw, leaving a trail of moisture that cools when the air hits it and makes me whimper for more contact. I can feel her smile at the sound I make, and she lightly kisses down my throat, her tongue swirling over the racing pulse in my neck. She's still holding my arms against the bedroom wall, but I wriggle a bit against her, craving more contact - needing her hands on places other than my wrists.

That warm tongue flicks out along my exposed collarbone, and she kisses up my throat again, glancing toward me. One eyebrow raises sexily, dark eyes meeting mine, and she leans in and bites my lower lip, lingering and teasing _just_ long enough for a loud moan to escape my throat.

"Mm," she licks it, soothing the spot with her tongue, "that's what I thought."

The minute her hands release my own, all the remaining restraint I possess flies out the window. I grab for her, burying my fingers in silky, dark hair as I crash our lips together, kissing her like she's the very air I need to breathe.

Callie doesn't take long to reclaim her position of dominance, though, and her toned, caramel arms push me back against the wall as her mouth continues to lay claim to mine. This time she presses her body flush against me, and I can feel her burning skin through the thin layers of cotton we wear. I can't help the low growl that escapes my throat as I slide my hands under her t-shirt, and I let my hands wander up her sides, her silky skin warm under my touch. I grasp hastily at the material of her shirt as I try to pull it up and strip her of it, and she laughs a little breathlessly, releasing my lips just long enough to let me yank it off and toss it, my own following in quick pursuit.

"Mm...what happened to no clothes on the floor...?"

Bare skin finally connecting, a soft moan echoes into the room - and I'm not sure whether it came from her or from my own body. Her lips are kissing their way across my jaw again, and I grab fistfuls of her hair as she moves down along my collarbone, heightening the arousal in every inch of my skin.

"Calliope...shut _up_."

Her teeth nip at my neck and I can tell the spot she's been lingering on is going to have a mark by the time we're through. I don't care though. I'm hers, and she can claim me all she wants - mind, body, and soul.

I grab her hand and slide it down my bare stomach, pulling her to where she knows I need her the most. She chuckles softly against my neck before leaning up and kissing me again, and I feel her deft fingers push just under the waist of my pajama pants, tracing along the heated skin there.

"I love when you're pushy."

She murmurs the words against my lips before kissing me deeply, and I just let my fingers get lost in luxurious waves of hair, finding it very difficult to form any coherent response. I gasp as her hand slides lower, pushing beneath the thin cotton that separates our skin, and she lets two strong fingers circle over my clit before she dips them inside me, a whimper leaving my throat as I try to catch my breath.

I glare slightly when she pulls her hand away...but then she nonchalantly slips those same fingers up into her mouth and I groan in sheer agony at the sight.

"Callie."

Uttering a throaty warning, I grasp at her wrist, but the brunette just smiles a little, licking her fingers clean before leaning in to kiss me. I can taste myself on her lips - one of my _favourite_ things ever - and that alone is almost enough to drive me over the edge. But I know my wife, and I know what's coming...and so when she hooks her thumbs into my pants and drags them down my legs, slowing lowering herself to her knees, I am more than ready to wait for her next move.

The hot, open-mouthed kisses she trails down my stomach make my muscles contract with a shudder, and I lean my head back against the wall, hands sliding into her hair as I wait for the flood of sensations I know is about to assault my system. Callie breathes me in, her nose nuzzling the inside of my thigh, and she glances up with a hint of mischievousness in her eyes. She picks up the cotton pants I'd stepped out of only moments before and holds my gaze, her voice a sexy murmur.

"I should probably put these in the hamper."

Grabbing them and tugging them out of her hand, I blindly throw them somewhere behind her - long ago having given in to my arousal.

"I hate you."

She leans in with a smirk, her tongue flickering out against me, and I lean back into the wall with a soft cry - finally, _finally_ getting what I've been waiting for.

"I love you too."

.

.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have always, always imagined this for them.

_I Can't Dance Without You, by Alan Doyle & The Beautiful Gypsies_

**_._ **

**_._ **

_**Callie** _

After a decade of marriage, of memorizing every movement and habit, every facial expression my wife has, I can tell when something's on her mind.

When she's studying a medical journal, working through the science and the process in her mind, she gets this look of complete concentration in her eyes. Their focus is solely on the page and the words in front of her, and she's often got the end of her pen between her teeth as she reads.

When she's worried about something, her eyes darken ever so slightly - the blue almost clouding over into grey - and she licks her bottom lip quickly before she speaks. She bounces slightly, whether it's her leg, her whole body, or just her hands that are playing with something (thankfully never cigarettes anymore).

When she's mulling something over though - whether it's an idea for family vacation plans, or how to have an awkward conversation with our teen and pre-teen daughters - she gets this almost faraway look in her eyes, her mind clearly elsewhere as she lets her gaze land on a random spot of the room. She's got that look tonight, as she taps her fingers absently along the edge of her laptop, and after ten long minutes of silence my curiosity gets the best of me and I point the remote at the TV to pause the show that clearly only one of us is watching.

"What's on your mind?"

The sudden quiet catches her off guard and she looks over, blue eyes focusing in on mine. Her fingers continue fiddling with the edge of the computer on her lap, nails lightly tapping against it, and I just wait.

"I got an email today. Remember Dr. Morotz - Carl - from the benefit this winter?"

Eyebrows knit in confusion, it takes me a minute before I remember the name of the man we'd met just before Christmas at the hospital's annual gala. He'd been in town from New York - some friend of the Averys - and I remember now that he and Arizona had spent a good time chatting throughout the evening.

"Oh, yeah - Catherine's friend, right? Was he working at New York Pres?"

"He was," Arizona nods, leaning forward to set the laptop on the table, "but when we met in December he was telling me about his work with Doctors Without Borders - he was working on leading a new group to Malawi. They've actually never worked in that country before because there's always been some kind of barrier."

The pieces start to fit together in my head and I glance over again to meet Arizona's eyes, seeing a hint of nervousness flash across them as she shifts on the couch to face me.

"He's asked me to join them."

The surprise must show immediately on my face, because she continues talking nervously, almost without taking a breath. Honestly though, I don't know _why_ I'm surprised. Africa has been a dream of Arizona's for a long time, longer than we've even known each other, and although she hardly ever talks about it I always knew that some day she might want to go back.

"Rather, he's asked _us_ to join them."

She pauses again, studying my face, but quickly continues on.

"Because I already told him there was no way I'd go without you...and he mentioned that it would be really great if you were interested too. With the rural communities over there, there's all kinds of broken bones and injuries from farm equipment...the kids especially are pretty rough and tumble, you know? And...I mean...there's lots of just general medical work needed too, which I know might be kind of boring for you, but there'd definitely be the need for an ortho specialist sometimes and I bet you'd see some really cool cases..."

She rambles on, her eyes flickering to mine again, and I can see the excitement building as she voices the scenario out loud. Maybe we _can_ go to Africa...it wouldn't be impossible. Maybe we could all go.

"And I mean, I know we can't just uproot the girls for a year - I wouldn't want to do that to them, and there probably wouldn't be an appropriate school for them over there, nowhere close to the rural villages anyway. But I was thinking maybe you and I could go for two or three weeks...help get this team set up...we'd be some of the more senior doctors so they could really use the expertise-"

"Arizona."

I cut her off, a small smile growing on my face as I listen to her. Fifteen years ago, I wanted nothing to do with Africa when she won the Carter Madison grant. I'd done my time in the Peace Corps already, my career here was flourishing, and selfishly - I can admit now - I had dragged my feet and killed her excitement...losing a part of her in the process. But things are different now, and this time, my wife's excitement is utterly contagious. This time, the idea of doing this with her sounds kind of amazing.

"What if we went for the summer?"

Blue eyes immediately find mine, surprise registering on her features.

"The whole summer?"

I smile a little, considering the idea some more. It could actually work.

"Yeah. I mean...the girls would be out of school so they could come with us. Sofia might balk at it, cause she's being a moody teenager lately, but I'm sure she could be convinced. And we've both more than earned a short sabbatical from work. It could be an adventure."

Arizona's eyes narrow slightly, a cautious smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"You're serious..."

"You've always wanted to do this, Arizona. So let's do it."

"Last time you said that..." she trails off, obvious concern etched across her face as she thinks of the last time we planned a similar trip, "are you sure?"

I reach over, tucking some loose hair back behind her ear, and my smile is genuine when I nod my head in confirmation. I want us to do this.

"Let's go to Africa."

 

*

 

" _Africa?!"_

"Malawi...it's in southeastern Africa, yes. It's a small country-"

"You're seriously making me move to Malawi for the summer."

Sofia stares at us across the dinner table a few weeks later, as we bring the girls in on our plans for the coming summer. We'd gotten most things arranged already – time off from work; the paperwork needed to officially join the Doctors Without Borders organization, accommodations for when we were over there. We wouldn't actually be leaving for another two months, but things were starting to fall into place.

"What about my friends? Do they even have internet over there? Is my phone going to work?"

Arizona glances quickly my way before directing her eyes to our eldest daughter again. We'd pretty much expected a reaction like this, but hopefully we weren't making a mistake here.

"We'll get local SIM cards for our phones, sweetie. And yes...most of the time there should be some internet coverage. A lot of the towns we work in will probably be pretty rural, but the infrastructure has developed a lot there over the last few years. It's not as backwards as you might think."

"Do they speak English?"

Audrey pipes up from beside her sister, her face displaying a lot more curiosity and excitement than the fifteen-year-old.

"Yep, basically everyone speaks English. They also speak a language called Chichewa – I bet you'll learn a little bit of it."

"Are we gonna see lions? Or monkeys?!"

"We might!"

Arizona grins enthusiastically at the younger version of herself, but her eyes go back to Sofia after a few seconds, and I watch as they make eye contact briefly, the teenager still looking entirely nonplussed.

"Sof..." I start to speak, imploring her to look at me, "this is something momma has wanted to do for a very, very long time. It's important to her. I know you're going to miss out on your friends all summer...but think about what a great experience this could be."

She sits up a bit straighter, crossing her arms over her chest as she seems to consider it.

"You know, you can even help at the clinics I bet."

"You definitely can," Arizona nods beside me, and Sofia's eyes pique with the _tiniest_ bit of curiosity, "and just wait til you see it, honey – it's _so_ beautiful over there. It's like nothing you've ever seen."

"You've been there? When?"

I tense a little, leaning back in my chair, and glance at my wife as she smoothly answers our daughter.

"About fifteen years ago. I worked over there for a little bit but..." her hand almost instinctively reaches for mine and clasps it under the table, "Mom and you were here, and I missed you too much."

It's only a little stretch of the truth. And the sentiment is true, really. Arizona gave up that work and came back for me, but she ended up coming back to me _and_ our unborn daughter - and I know she wouldn't trade being a mother for anything.

Sofia seems to consider it for another moment, glancing between the two of us, but – surprisingly, after a minute – the smallest of smiles tugs at her lips and she seems to accept the idea.

"So, like...will you teach me to do stitches?"

 

*

 

The African sun is _hot_.

It had been nearly three decades since I'd been on this continent, and I'd forgotten so much about it, temperature included. The summer had passed by quickly though, and we were all well used to the heat by mid-August, our bodies - even Arizona's - tanned to a deep, golden colour by the unrelenting sun. The work had been amazing over the last two months, there was no doubt about it, and the experiences we'd had were some that we wouldn't forget anytime soon. I'm really glad we decided to do this, and not just for Arizona.

When we'd arrived in the small rural community of Matapila, it had been a culture shock to say the least - the girls had looked around the town in disbelief, and Sofia had definitely _not_ been impressed with the small house we were given for the duration of our stay. Audrey had adapted quickly, making friends with the local children her age, but it had been a struggle at first with her older sister. There had been more than a couple of fights between us, but Arizona had taken our eldest daughter under her wing at the clinic and it hadn't taken long for the teenager's attitude to change completely. They'd spent the summer growing closer than ever, and as I watch them across the small examination area at the medical centre, and listen to them work, my heart swells with pride.

"Halima, we're going to have to deliver your baby via c-section - he's turned around backwards, and the cord is around his neck. It's too dangerous to try and deliver him this way."

"Surgery? No, no, Dr. Arizona...I will do it without. I will go see the midwife."

The young woman - she can only be a year or two older than Sofia - shakes her head vehemently, moving to sit up from the table.

"Halima..." Arizona takes her hand as she winces through what's likely an early contraction, "you need a doctor this time, we don't have a choice. I want you both to survive."

"But surgery...you going to cut him out..."

The woman's face displays her obvious fear, but the blonde gives her a small, reassuring smile. She's amazing with the patients here - with the women and children who come through these doors with all manner of ailments. Most of them aren't used to seeing doctors at all, let alone skilled, experienced surgeons - and they're understandably nervous about some of the treatments. My wife always manages to calm them though, and I can't help but think that she was truly made for this work.

"Palibe kanthu - trust me, Halima."

"She's the best, she won't let anything happen to you or your baby."

Sofia speaks up too, smiling at the young woman who could easily be her friend, or her classmate back home, and Halima's eyes turn to focus on her, her hand curling protectively over her very pregnant belly.

"She's the best doctor at the hospital back home - she saved me when I was born. And she'll make sure your little boy or girl is safe too."

I see the small smile pass over my wife's face, her blue eyes sparkling as she looks over at our daughter, but Sofia's focus remains solely on the patient, imploring her to listen. She's grown up so much this summer just being here, helping at the clinic and with the other projects in town - she's already expressed her interest in being a doctor, has for years, but for the first time...I can truly see it.

"You can trust her, I promise."

The other young woman lets out a nervous breath, nodding slightly as she talks with Sofia, and they call over one of our nurses after a moment to take her in and get her settled.

"Sofia - let's go, we'll prep the operating room so we're ready to go as soon as I let Halima's mother know what's happening."

I glance over as I hear my wife speak again, and see the look of surprise on our daughter's face.

"We?"

Arizona smiles, running a hand over Sofia's back.

"If you want in? Halima really likes you - she trusts you. You can give me a hand with prep, and you can stay and observe if you like."

Sofia's dark eyes widen almost comically, and her face lights up with an excitement I easily recognize.

"Really?"

"If you think you can handle it. Consider it a test," Arizona grins, "then you'll know if you _really_ want to go to med school."

Our daughter's face breaks into a huge grin, and she immediately turns to follow her mother down toward the small operating room. I laugh softly to myself as I hear their voices disappear around the corner, knowing without a doubt now that this trip was worth it.

"This is going to be so cool!"

 

*

 

"Sofia already asked if we could come back next summer."

I hear Arizona speak as she approaches from behind, coming outside to join me as I gaze up at the crystal clear night sky. It's late, but we only had supper a little while ago, and the girls are taking their turn cleaning up inside. It's a warm night, so I'd opened all the windows and come out to the yard to catch the light breeze floating through the air - my eyes unable to look away from the millions of stars twinkling above. It really is incredibly beautiful here, and so different from Seattle.

"That's cause you let her watch a surgery today."

I chuckle softly, turning my head as I feel my wife's arms wrap around my waist from behind. She grins, her dimples immediately showing, and leans up to kiss me before resting her cheek against my shoulder, her body leaning into mine.

"Okay...that might have been a little unethical. She loved it though - you should have seen her face afterwards. She had a million questions on our way home."

"She's good with people, like you. She'd make a great doctor someday."

I glance backwards as the girls' laughter rings out from the house, and I just smile, turning in Arizona's arms until I'm facing her.

"This has been an amazing summer. I'd love to do it again."

"Yeah?" Arizona's eyes meet mine, her hands slipping under the back of my tank top to rest comfortably against the skin of my lower back, "you don't have to, you know - you could stay back with Audrey. I know you miss home."

"I miss Seattle, but my home is right here."

I pull her a little closer against me, despite the heat, and drop a soft kiss on her lips as we start to sway slowly together.

"And I really have loved being here - we've done incredible work together."

"We really have," she kisses me again before resting her head in the crook of my neck, "you mean it though, you'd come back?"

I glance down, smiling at the woman nestled in my arms as we move in slow circles, our bodies instinctively fitting together, dancing together like we have on so many occasions despite a lack of music.

"I just want to be wherever you are. I'm not spending three months without you, next summer or _ever_ \- are you crazy?"

The smaller woman lets out a soft laugh, her breath skirting across my skin.

"I don't think I could do it either."

She shifts a bit, wrapping her arms around my neck, and as I meet her gaze I'm struck by how incredibly beautiful she is, and how incredibly lucky I am. She's never looked so stunning, her skin tanned and glowing from the sun, her long hair falling from the loose bun at the nape of her neck. Her hair is showing some white around the temples these days, and when she smiles at me, small wrinkles form at the corners of her eyes and the laugh lines show around her mouth, but she barely looks a day older than she did when we got married. She is just...miraculous. She is my lifetime of happiness.

"Besides, who would I dance with then?"

Arizona laughs again before she answers, the sound ringing out musically in the still, quiet air of the African countryside. Her eyes twinkle in the dim light from the moon, and she meets my gaze with the utmost love and happiness showing on her face. This trip - this work - I know it was one of her dreams. I'd promised to spend my life making all her dreams, all her hopes and wishes come true, just like she has for me. Nothing could be better than this.

"I don't know. I know I can't dance without you."

.

.


	12. Chapter 12

_What I Wouldn't Do, by Serena Ryder_

_**.** _

_**.** _

_**Arizona** _

The minute I see her - phone cradled against her ear, posture slumped back against the counter - I know something is wrong.

I'd just walked the girls to school and Callie was supposed to be ready to leave by the time I got back, but a quick glance around the kitchen tells me that she is anything but. The breakfast dishes are still on the table, her hair is still in the messy ponytail she woke up with - it's like nothing has moved in the last twenty minutes.

"Hey..."

She hangs up the phone moments after I enter the kitchen, and she turns to face me as I quietly step up behind her, brown eyes glistening with tears.

"My mom...she..." the tears well over and roll down her cheeks, "she had a heart attack."

"Oh, sweetie..." I reach up to wipe her cheeks gently, pulling her into my arms as she shakes her head, "is she-"

"In her sleep. Aria found her this morning."

The sob overtakes her as she clings to me, and as I wrap myself around her, holding her close, I can feel my heart break a little for what this means for my wife.

There will be no reconciliation with her mother now. And I know she'd moved on, I know she'd been happily living her life without her mother in it...but I also know that a small, small part of her had always hoped that someday, somehow, the woman who raised her would eventually come around. That she'd eventually see the error of her ways and want to know her daughter again, want to meet her grandchildren. That they could _fix_ what had been so irreparably broken so many years ago, and fill in that tiny part of Callie's heart that had never been the same.

But now she'll never know.

"I'm so sorry."

I rest my cheek against the top of her head and murmur softly, just holding her as warm tears fall against my neck. It's such a beautiful spring day - sun shining in through the open kitchen windows, a soft breeze rustling the trees outside. A bird is singing lightly in the backyard, but its melody is almost jarring against the sorrow of the woman in my arms. I tighten my embrace a little and she glances up at me, looking for answers, but I know there's only so much I can say as her trusting gaze falls upon me. I meet her eyes, a soft sigh falling from my lips, and say the only thing I know to be true - the only thing I _can_.

"I love you, Calliope."

She nods once and I lean back against the counter, pulling her weight against me.

"We'll get through this, okay?"

Dropping a soft kiss against her temple, I continue rubbing my hand along her lower back in a movement I know brings her a sense of calm. She sighs, sniffling as she wipes at her eyes, and I speak quietly over the top of her head.

"I'll call work and take care of our schedules...and as soon as we can figure things out, we'll get down to Miami, okay? You should call your dad, sweetie, talk to him."

Callie looks up again, pulling her head off my shoulder but remaining within the circle of my arms.

"You don't have to go to Miami. I know you..."

"Callie-"

Lucia Torres was never my favourite person in the world, from the first moment we met, to the last time we spoke - and I've never hidden those feelings from Callie, especially after our last disastrous encounter. But there is no way that I'm going to let my wife go through the death of her mother alone. I would never leave that weight on her shoulders without being by her side to share it.

"But the girls...what will we-"

"Calliope," tilting her chin up until her eyes meet mine, I just look at her for a moment, the sadness emanating from her in waves, "you are not going through this alone. I am your wife, and I love you. Your family is my family too."

Brown, watery eyes hold my gaze, and she just gives me a small nod, wrapping her arms around me again as I pull her into a hug. She cries softly against my shoulder and I just hold her, breathing with her until her breaths match my own and I can feel the tension leave her body; feel the acceptance take over.

She clings to me, and I do all that I can to bring her some measure of comfort - my arms holding her close, my hand stroking her hair, my voice soft as I murmur against her ear.

"It's going to be okay."

 

*

 

Two days later and the four of us are packed into Carlos's Miami condo, taking over the older man's space as he and his daughters finalize the plans for the funeral at the end of the week. There's a strange mood within the walls of the home; the grief rages through the small family, the muddled emotions tormenting my wife as she figures out how to accept the loss of a parent who didn't want her. And while Carlos and Lucia hadn't been married in almost six years, there's still a deep sadness in his eyes as he comforts his children and mourns the decades of happiness he and his ex-wife shared.

Our girls know why we're here - we'd talked to them before leaving home - but they're young, and they're a little confused with the concept of grief, and I'm not sure that either of them really know what to do with the situation at hand. They were happy to see their aunt and grandfather, but quickly realized the mood was more sombre than either of them had experienced before.

"I didn't know we had two grandmas."

As Carlos, Callie, and Aria talk quietly at the kitchen table - picking flowers and ordering food and making phone calls - I find our daughters together in the living room, looking through an old photo album Callie had pulled off the shelf for them earlier.

"We didn't. We have one grandma and one grandpa and abuelo."

"But momma said we had one here. Mommy's mom. Except we never saw her and now she died."

Audrey, at five years old, doesn't quite grasp what's happening. The concept of death, I think, makes sense to her - she's spent enough time around doctors to understand what that means - but the concept that a grandmother she never met, or heard about, existed at all is confusing in a different kind of way.

"Mommy's mom didn't love us, that's why."

I lean in the doorway, keeping my silence as I watch the sisters interact, but as I listen to ten-year-old Sofia I can feel my heart clench painfully in my chest.

"Why?"

Looking back at the photo album, Audrey flips the heavy page and scrunches her brow in confusion. Our youngest child is so very full of love and joy, the concept of someone not sharing that is probably unfathomable to her.

"I don't know," Sofia shrugs a little, her eyes trained on the page too, "she didn't love mom, so that means she didn't love us. I never met her either."

It's the matter-of-fact way she speaks that has my heart breaking in two, the way she merely accepts the fact as she's always understood it. She'd asked questions, a few times when she was younger, questioning why Callie didn't have a mom, why Callie didn't see her mom, why her abuela existed out there in the world but somehow was never a part of our lives. The answers had never been easy to give - and we'd chosen to remain vague, hoping to somewhat protect her. Over time, she had simply accepted it and forgotten, or so we assumed.

"Why is mommy sad then?"

"I don't know. She just is. Dying is sad."

"Did we do something wrong?"

The smallest brunette glances at her sister, her blue eyes clouded with worry and confusion, and I know it's time to make my presence known.

"Hey, sweetie...no, we didn't do anything wrong."

Entering the expansive living room, I cross toward them, settling on the couch as two sets of young eyes meet mine. Audrey immediately shifts up onto my lap, the album still firmly held in her hands, and I motion Sofia closer, letting my arm wrap around the older girl's shoulders.

"How come abuela didn't love us then?" Audrey questions again, her finger tracing over a photo of a teenage Callie and Aria, flanked by smiling parents on either side, "I would have loved _her_."

I feel like this is a conversation best had with Callie herself around, but I know she's preoccupied, and she's got enough on her mind right now dealing with her own grief. We should have known the brief explanation before leaving home wouldn't be enough - not for our inquisitive, wise-beyond-their-years children.

"Do you remember, at Christmas, that boy in Sofia's class who teased her because she has two moms?"

Sofia scrunches up her nose at the memory, anger flaring briefly in her eyes, and Audrey just frowns a little, nodding vaguely.

"Yeah. Mommy and you said our family was different than his, and he just didn't understand."

"Colin's a jerk."

"Sofia!"

"Well he is..." the darker haired girl leans into my side, her eyes conveying the same hurt they had months ago when her classmate made fun of her, "there's nothing weird about our family."

"No, there's not."

I trail my fingers through her hair, my other arm tightening around Audrey just a little as she tilts her head back to look up at me.

"But there are people in the world who don't understand having two moms...or two dads, like Sydney and Ryan. And they think there's something wrong with that, just because it's different than what they have."

"But why?" Audrey questions again, confusion evident on her face, "it's the same as having a mom and a dad."

"They just do. I don't know why either, baby."

I glance down at the open album, seeing the beaming smile on a younger version of my wife. Sofia shares that smile - and the older she gets, the more similar the resemblance. It's such a beautiful connection.

"Our abuela was mad that mom loved you, right? That's why she wouldn't talk to mom anymore. She thought there was something wrong with it too, didn't she?"

Sofia speaks this time - the maturity and gravity of her words bringing a new wave of sadness to the situation - and letting out a soft sigh, all I can do is nod in response. How else am I supposed to explain it? There's _no_ good way to explain it and there never will be.

"She did."

"But she never even met us..."

The small, timid voice of my five-year-old daughter makes me squeeze her just a little bit tighter, hold onto her a little bit tighter, wishing we weren't having this conversation at all.

"How did she know she didn't love us if she never even met us?"

And I answer as honestly as I can - because it truly is the only way I know how.

"I don't know, sweetie. Because I love you so, _so_ much."

"Me too."

I look up as I hear my wife's voice coming from across the room, and see the other woman leaning in the doorway, quietly observing us. She makes her way over to the couch and sits on the other side of Sofia, glancing over at the happy family photo on display in the album. Her eyes are still a little red, and she looks emotionally drained from the last few days, but I can't help reach out and tuck some stray hair behind her ear, letting my fingers brush along the silky skin of her cheek. She is incredible.

"Your abuela wasn't a bad person...I know you never got to meet her...but I want you to know that, okay?"

"But she _hated_ us," Sofia looks at her mother, her dark eyes starting to shine with their own unshed tears, "I know she did, mom. I know she just left you."

"She didn't hate us."

Callie answers softly after a moment, and she takes Sofia's small hand in hers – whether for our daughter's comfort or her own, I'm not sure. We'd done a lot of talking over the last two nights; there'd been a lot of tears, and a lot of emotion as the other woman tried to reconcile her feelings toward her mother's death. I know she was still hurt and upset about how their relationship ended up, but I think in a way...she'd been able to release some of the pain, at long last. She'd finally been able to accept that the only failings here were on her mother's part – and that there truly was nothing she could have done about it. She hadn't lost the chance for reconciliation...because there probably hadn't been one, not after all these years.

"She...made a decision. She made a decision not to be in my life anymore for reasons I'll never understand – but she didn't hate me. A mother could never hate their child – _never._ "

Tears spill from the corners of dark, beautiful eyes, and our eldest daughter releases her hand, turning to

embrace her mother tightly.

"I'm sorry you're so sad."

Callie hugs her back, sighing softly as she presses a kiss to dark hair.

"Me too, baby, me too."

Audrey climbs down from my lap after a moment and crawls around to Callie's other side, wrapping her small arms around her as well. Both of our daughters have their mother's amazingly big heart, and share her innate ability for compassion. They may not fully understand the complexity of losing an estranged parent – none of us do – but what they understand in this moment, what's the most important thing, is that their mother needs to be loved. She needs _them_.

And as I wipe an errant tear from my own eye, I shift over to join them, my arms circling around my wife and children and holding them impossibly close. Callie meets my eyes over the top of Sofia's head and I simply lean my forehead against hers, letting the silent contact speak more than words ever could. News of her mother had all but broken Callie a few short days ago – had shattered pieces of her that I don't think she was even aware still existed...but I was here to pick them up, and I'll continue to pick them up and hold them together for as long as she needs. We all will.

"Thank you for being here."

She breathes the words out with a sigh, letting her eyes flutter open to meet mine again, and I know that she'll be okay, as long as we're together.

"Wherever you are, my love, I'll always be there too."

.

.


	13. Chapter 13

_Together, by Calvin Harris (and Gwen Stefani)_

_._

_._

_**Callie** _

The first thing I sense when I wake up is the soft breathing of another person nearby. I keep my eyes closed for a few seconds, just listening, and confusion tugs at my mind for a brief moment until the memory of the night before surfaces – making my heart beat just a little faster, my body awash with joy. My eyes flutter open to the beautiful view of Arizona slumbering peacefully beside me and I almost want to pinch myself, almost want to make sure I'm not dreaming. But as I blink again, my eyes adjusting to the soft morning light, a smile tugs at my lips...because it's definitely not a dream. She's here, in our bed, exactly where she belongs.

She's asleep on her side, facing toward me, with one hand tucked under the pillow and the other laying flat in the small space between us. Her hair is long these days, blonde waves splayed across the pillow and tumbling over her bare shoulders, and with the sun starting to stream through the curtains we'd forgotten to close, she looks absolutely radiant. She's always been beautiful, but I don't think she's ever looked as stunning as she does this morning. And maybe it's the newness of it all, maybe it's the rekindling of what we had so long ago, but mostly...it's just _her_. It's always been her.

Reaching over, I slide my fingers through blonde strands, carefully brushing them back from her face, and my hand lingers along the curve of her neck, tracing soft skin down over her shoulder. She's got a light handful of freckles along her shoulders and I've always inexplicably loved them - I _missed_ them, I realize, more than I've ever missed a physical feature before. I missed the way they scatter across her skin like stars in the sky, missed the constellations that I committed to memory a long time ago; that my fingers and lips have traced a million times over.

I lightly trace my finger over her collarbone now and she lets out a soft sigh somewhere between sleep and consciousness, an adorable sound that immediately makes my heart swell in my chest. Shifting back down to lay my head on the pillow, I quietly trace the outline of her fingers, smiling as her lips twitch a little, her brow furrowing slightly as if in thought.

"Are you watching me sleep?"

She murmurs softly, her eyes still closed, and I can't help but grin as I watch her long eyelashes fluttering lightly.

"It's been awhile since I have."

"I could always tell, you know."

She snuggles a little deeper into the pillow, still refusing to open her eyes, and I trace the length of her hand again, absently circling the small scar above her thumb.

"I know. I could always tell when you were pretending to sleep, too."

At that, bright blue eyes flutter open, peering at me across the small space between us. A slight blush colours her cheeks and she smiles sheepishly - and I didn't think it was possible, but somehow, she's even more adorable right now than she's ever been.

"I never wanted to burst the bubble. Quiet mornings were so rare for us."

"They were my favourite."

I lean in, pressing a soft kiss to her lips, and she sighs happily in agreement, a soft hum sounding in her throat. It really _has_ been too long. I can't believe all the mornings I spent waking up alone, nothing but cold sheets beside me. All I ever needed was her.

"Mine too."

Arizona tugs at the blankets a little, pulling the comforter up under her chin as she closes her eyes again. The exhaustion of the previous day, of the last week, is written all over her features - and although her mentor came out of surgery okay, I know it's all still weighing heavily on her. We'd fallen asleep late last night, after spending hours reacquainting ourselves with each others' bodies, and as amazing and reaffirming as it had been, I feel a slight tug of guilt now as I watch her attempt to sink back into the comfort of sleep.

"It's early..." I murmur, brushing the hair from her face again, "I'm sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep."

"I don't think I can."

Her eyes meet mine again - somehow always bluer at this hour of the morning, more vibrant - and she lets out a heavy sigh, rolling onto her back.

"Come here then," I shift a bit, opening my arms, "we'll just lay here."

The smaller woman doesn't need any further encouragement, and she immediately shifts back to her side and snuggles over against me, her arm wrapping around my waist and her leg tucking in between my own. She lays her head beside mine on the pillow and rests her chin against my shoulder, her lips brushing a kiss against my jaw, and I can't help but think that we fit together as perfectly now as we did six months ago - as perfectly as we have for years.

"I missed waking up to you."

Her words are soft, whispered almost reverently against my skin, and I feel her hand slide up my abdomen, strong fingers tracing over my breastbone and lingering there, outlining the faint remnant of the scar against my skin. They go still after a few seconds, and she curls her palm around my ribs again, sighing softly.

"We spent so much time running from each other, Callie..."

"Hey," I interrupt softly, pressing a kiss to her temple, "we're not running anymore, okay? We're together. And we're going to wake up together every day for the rest of our lives."

The implication of the words isn't lost on me as I breathe them out into the quiet room, the weight of them settling over us like a warm blanket; like a cocoon of safety. I know it's too soon - I know it's not the right time for declarations or questions or anything like that - but I do mean it. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with Arizona, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure she wants to spend the rest of hers with me. It feels too good, it feels too _right_ to think that anything else is possible.

"I hope that's a promise."

She tilts her face up, a small smile gracing her features again, and I can't help but lean in to capture her lips in a slow, lazy morning kiss. She returns the affection, the warmth of her body melting into mine, and I pull her around until she's laying over top of me, a soft laugh escaping her at the sudden movement.

"Calliope!"

I thread my fingers into messy blonde hair, my smile growing as I pull her in for another, deeper kiss. She settles her weight on me, her curves matching mine perfectly, fitting together like a puzzle - and I trace the outline of her jaw, committing every detail of this moment to memory.

Because this - _us_ \- we're meant to be. We're _made_ for each other. I have never felt more sure about anything in my life.

"That's a promise."

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End file.
